Pernille Ripp

I Don’t Know What It Means to Be My Student

March 1, 2014March 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I grew up in a small town in Denmark, population 7,509. There was a handful of minority students at my school, all adopted with little knowledge of their old culture. I didn’t grow up in diversity, I didn’t grow up in poverty, I didn’t grow up in instability or transitional homes. I didn’t grow up in anger or uncertainty. I grew up surrounded by the love of my family and kids that looked just like me.

I teach in a school with a diverse population, yet you would not know it looking at our teacher population. Mostly white, mostly female. Much like many elementary schools across the United States. I am asked to relate to my students, to be sensitive to their needs, their background. To be aware of how their situation, their family life, their culture affects their entire being. And yet…

I don’t know what it means to be a minority. I don’t know what it means to come from poverty. Or a broken home. I don’t know what it feels like to be in a classroom where no one looks like you or to be judged because of the way one speaks. I don’t know what it feels like to be homeless or angry at the world. I can pretend I do, but I don’t.

But there are things I can understand.

I can understand what it means to be the new kid. To not speak a language. To not have 2 parents. I can understand what it means to feel the like the world is against you and there is no one that cares. I can understand what it feels like to think that not a single person cares about you in the whole world and that you will always be alone.

I cannot connect to my students using experiences we have not shared and I will not pretend that I can. Yet that doesn’t mean I cannot be a great teacher to them. That doesn’t mean we cannot forge a deep relationship. I can connect with my kids through listening. Through caring. I can connect through the love of a book ,a song, a class or a laugh. I can connect with my students by acknowledging that we are different and that I will never know what their lives are truly like but I will try. I can connect not through their background but what we create together. I can connect with them based on the now, while still acknowledging the before. Together we can try to understand, together we can make a new connection.

I don’t know what it means to be them but that’s ok. I know what it means to be here, now, in our classroom. And that’s a start at least….

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students” will be released this April from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, PD

Small Moment PD or How To BE a PD Ninja

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I am busy working on my second book to be published by Corwin in the fall hopefully, tentatively titled “Empowered Teachers – Empowered Students” it is all about how to change the climate of a school and a classroom. One of the things that I have been writing about is the need for “small moment PD,” particularly as we get busier and busier in our educational lives. What follows here is an excerpt from the draft, I would love to add your ideas to it or just get your thoughts.

So where can small moments of professional development happen?

5 minutes after the first bell. This may be a sacred time for attendance but why not dedicate it instead to article reading time or video viewing time. Send a short blog post or article for teachers to read the first five minutes during the day. Students are typically settling in, working on morning work, listening to announcements, and getting ready for class to start. While you read they could still be doing all of that or they could also be reading an article to benefit them.

Create school-wide independent reading time. Once a day or once a week, everyone should drop everything and read. Often teachers think that independent reading time (if at all implemented) should be used to meet with students, grade papers, get ready etc, but instead give permission to just read something. You can choose whether it should be something pre-determined or whether teachers can choose their own reading material but give them the time.

Buy professional books for book clubs. Some teachers thrive in informal book club discussions but don’t want to spend their own money buying the books needed. So why not allocate money for staff to pick their book club books and then highlight that a book club exists. Often all it takes for teachers to start reading is to give them a nice, new inspiring book.

Forward on condensed magazines filled with information. One of the biggest obstacles to quick professional development is finding the time to find things to share. Magazines such as “The Best and Next in Education” do the work for you. All you have to do is subscribe and then pass it on to staff.

Preload iPods with podcasts. I know teachers who drive for more than 45 minutes to get to work, why not have pre-loaded iPods ready for them to check out with great new podcasts to inspire them? There are so many wonderful podcasts available for free that is destined to inspire. What’s more many podcasts nowadays are 15 to 10 minutes long, that means even teachers driving short distances can benefit from these.

The all school read in. Why not have a weekly or bi-weekly read-in in the gym where teachers can drop their students off and meet in teams to learn something together? Often teachers are eager to learn but don’t have the time to meet, so even a 30 minute read-in can provide the time needed with minimal supervision required.

The bathroom article. The one place that all teachers go at some point is the bathroom, so why not post relevant articles in them? While this may seem silly or disgusting to some, having reading material right in front of you usually means you will read it.

Bribe teachers with lunch or coffee. Where this is food, there can be learning. Once a month, my incredible PTO provides a teacher appreciation lunch, why not combine this with a great video or discussion group. While it could not be made mandatory, if the content being delivered is worthwhile, you should see at least some teachers choose to participate.
Combine PD with students. Some of my best best PD has been in discussion with mystudents after watching a video or reading an article. Now these are 5th graders so the content being delivered has to fit the appropriate age group, but I have always left these student discussions with ideas to implement in our classroom the very next day.

As I said, this is not the ultimate list, but rather a beginning to spark ideas for you. Every school is different, as is its culture. Brainstorm with teachers and students where to find the time for extra professional development. Create the opportunities and then highlight the teachers that take it. Lead them into new leadership positions where they can share their new-found knowledge, after all, it is not just meant to provide teachers with more knowledge, but for them to become experts in their own right.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students” will be released this March from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, Reading, reflection

I Am a Reader

February 25, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I have always been a reader but I was never a proud reader in my classroom until a year ago. I realized then that to inspire deep passion in my readers I had to share my own. I realized then that to inspire my students to keep reaching for books I had to show my own hunger for more. Now I am reader because I know it matters. I am reader because it teaches me more.

I am a reader because I can hand books to students knowing that they will love them.

I am a reader because I need to get lost in books as much as my students do.

I am a reader because I want to live a thousand lives and travel to a million places.

I am a reader because my life would be gray without all of my books.

I am a reader because I cannot pretend that reading is important, I have to live it.

I am a reader because it allows me to connect with any child I meet.

I am a reader because of the memories it creates.

I am a reader because of the moments I share with others.

I am a reader because my students need me to be.

I am a reader because my soul requires it.

Are you a reader? Why?

Be the change, being a teacher, reflection, Student-centered

Hey Why Don’t You…Some Ideas to Shake Up the Week

February 23, 2014 Pernille Ripp

In one week I return to my amazing classroom full-time. Done with a messed up maternity leave and eager to be back, yet sad to leave our little baby at home. Being at home has let me not only snuggle 4 kids any time I want, but it has also allowed me to reflect on small changes I want to incorporate into my own routine when I get back to my other kids. Perhaps you will find some ideas to shake things up a bit as well.

Be a PD ninja. So often we think of PD as a whole day affair but PD can also come in the form of a really great 5 minutes. So why not print out an article and slap it on the bathroom door? Why not forward a link to the whole staff? Why not start a PD related discussion at lunch? I love the little moments of learning that can be found in a day.
Ask your students. I swear this should be on my non-existent business card. My students have had an incredible sub while I was gone so the first thing I plan on doing is asking them what they loved about her way of teaching. I love stealing ideas that have worked in my room already, we should always embrace our chance to grow from others.
Incorporate a talk break. My students really struggle with transitions, they even blogged about it. Yet instead of beating them up about it, I plan on incorporating a mini-talk break before we transition. Students get a chance to switch their brains and also just get it out. A few minutes invested in talking will hopefully pay off the whole day,
Seek mindfulness. This article on mindfulness really made me think of how much it is needed in my room. While I have yet to figure out where it will fit, I am going to make it fit somewhere. I think we all need a moment to just be content and quiet as we tackle our learning.
Encourage unsupported reflection. I get to do conferences the week I am back and as always they are student-led. However, this time rather than having students fill out a questionnaire, I created a reflection sheet for them. I really want to see where they are not just as thinkers, but also how they will express themselves. How deep will they go in their conference when it isn’t just a fill in the blank sheet?
Make more connections. We got really busy before winter break and then I went into the hospital and everything got a bit chaotic. Making global connections was not our first priority. So the first week I am back we have 2 mystery skypes and a literacy share in honor of World Read Aloud Day. I have also reached out to a 5th grade in Australia to start a collaboration with them.
Start a continents project. Geography seems to be the loser in our curriculum with very little time to figure out where we are in the world. We will therefore be researching the continents and learning about the world during our resource block, hello Twitter connections!, what we will be doing I have not decided, after all, I need to ask my students.
Give back. I was inspired by this article on a 6 year old getting books for homeless children in NYC to think about what my own students could accomplish. We will therefore be starting a service learning project as well, once again proving that even children can change the world.

I can’t wait.

Reading, reflection, students

Reading Is Bigger Than Us

February 20, 2014 Pernille Ripp

My students used to read so they could do a book report. They used to read so they could have a book talk with an adult. They used to read so they could check off 1,000 pages. Some read for the love of it, some for the occasional thrill, and some read because I told them to. Much like many children today. This year as we started to have deep discussion about the books we chose to read, I realized quickly that my students were unsure how to discuss a book, how to dig deeper and pull out answers from each other. They even were unsure of why we were learning how to do this in the first place. Surely reading doesn’t have much to do with conversations?

So when I asked them why we discuss our books, the most common answer was because we want to share them. Because it gives us something to do at the end of reading. Because it proves to you that we read. Quietly I looked at them and then told them, “We don’t talk about books to just share them. We don’t practice these reading conversations so that we have proof that we have read that day. We don’t even do it to become better readers. Reading and talking about reading is bigger than that.

We share our books because they show a part of us that others may not know.

We share our thoughts because it may give someone else the courage to share theirs.

We ask questions about books because we must learn to ask questions of others. We must learn to adapt to any conversation thrust upon as adults. To engage and be engaging whenever needed. Sure, we practice our conversations through our love of books, but it is much bigger than that. We practice these conversations so that we can be better people who are interested in those they meet. Who can speak to strangers when needed. Who can think quickly and respond well.

We may speak of books now, but you don’t know what life will need you to speak of later. ” A child that reads becomes an adult who thinks” and you, my students, are thinkers indeed. So don’t think we do it just to wrap up reading, to have a nice little chat. We do it because it is a life skill. We do it for our love of reading, for our love of conversation, and for our love of people. That’s why we have reading discussions; to connect with others and become better human beings.”

I hope they understood my rant.

Be the change, reflection, students

How to Empower Your Students

February 19, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I became a teacher because I thought I could change the world. Now I know what a foolish endeavor I have set out upon. It is not so much that I cannot change the world, my teaching career is not over yet so I will not throw in the towel. It is more that I don’t care so much about changing the world anymore, but rather that I care about helping children change the world. My time is now, but theirs is coming up and as a teacher I have the privilege of being able to provide students with opportunities to make a difference, to make a change, to make their mark.

So what can you do to empower your students? I have been writing my second book on this topic for Corwin (hopeful publication this fall!) and keep coming back to the same simple principles.

Give them a voice – but also help them understand what it means to have a voice. Many of my students assume that having a voice just means speaking up, but to me it is much broader than that. Having a voice means having a say, deciding in what happens within the classroom or the school. Changing the way school is provided and having a way to speak to the world.

Breed honesty. Too often our students are too nice to say how they really feel about what we are doing to them, so leading by example in your own honest reflections, and starting discussions where students can safely share their true opinions, knowing that they will not haunt them in the future through a vindictive teacher. Yes, honesty can hurt our pride as teachers, even mine, but I would rather know what I am doing wrong than having students pretend everything is okay.

Find your place. It is too simplistic to say that our place as teachers should be on the side, it is also too simplistic to say that it should be as the leader. Instead as a teacher, our jobs and our place changes every day and sometimes every minute. While one child may need you to hold their hand, another needs you to push them forward. One child may need for you to get out of their way, while another is lost. I thought I would fail as a teacher if I led my students, now I know I only fail if I don’t give them what they need.

Make room for failure and success. Too often we simplify failure and how we must embrace it because that is the only true way to learn. Yet, success is also needed. Sure students need perseverance, we all do, but we also need success to fuel our perseverance. If I set up a classroom where students continually failed all in the name of creative pursuit, I would have a classroom full of students unsure that they would ever be able to succeed. Chance of failure – absolutely – but chance of success as well!

While empowering students is more than this, this are the foundation that I build my classroom upon. These are the tenets that must be in place for my students to continue developing into the incredibly passionate, confident, self-reliant problem-solvers they can be. Then they can change the world, and not just when they grow up, but starting today as 5th graders, not waiting for tomorrow.